evito

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [eːˈwiː.toː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [eˈviː.to]^[1]

Forms

ēvītō (present infinitive ēvītāre, perfect active ēvītāvī, supine ēvītātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin ex- + vītō (“to avoid”).^[2][1] De Vaan derives ⟨vītō⟩ from Proto-Italic ⟨*wīto-⟩ “wanted”, Proto-Indo-European *wih₁-to- (“wished for”), and rejects the older explanation as ⟨*vi-itō⟩ “to go out of the way”.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lewis & Short cite Catullus, of avoiding missiles with a cloak.^[4] Köbler dates Catullus 81/79–52/50 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to avoid, shun, escape, by physical or other means, as in Catullus and Horace, and in Cicero of avoiding a run of similar metrical feet in prose.^[2][4][6] Lewis & Short note that it is most frequent from the Augustan period.^[4]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it means to shun, avoid.^[7] French éviter, Italian evitare and Spanish evitar are learned borrowings of it.^[1]

Timeline

• 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus uses it.^[4][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.^[6][5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To avoid, shun, escape.^[2][4]

Related words

• vītō
• vītābundus
• inēvītābilis
• English inevitable

Usage notes

A different ēvītō, from vīta “life”, meant to deprive of life, kill; it is quoted from Ennius by Cicero and is otherwise ante- and post-classical.^[2][4][6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson